United States presidential election, 1876

The United States presidential election, 1876 was held on 7 November 1876. The Republican Party ran Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler as its candidates, while the Democratic Party ran Samuel J. Tilden and Thomas A. Hendricks. The Democrats swept the American South, but there were issues with declaring a winner in South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, and Oregon, leading to a deadlock. Hayes decided to strike an informal deal, the Compromise of 1877, which gave all 20 disputed electoral votes to Hayes in exchange for all US Army troops withdrawing from the South to end the Reconstruction era. The Democrats acquiesced, and Hayes beat Tilden 185 electoral votes to 184, the closest presidential victory in US history. The end of Reconstruction allowed for the South to return to its pre-American Civil War economy, and the local governments disenfranchised several African-American voters.

Results

 * Republican dot.png Rutherford B. Hayes/William A. Wheeler - 185 votes
 * Democrat dot.png Samuel J. Tilden/Thomas A. Hendricks - 184 votes